The Kentucky Derby bears the iconic designation of “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”
But much of what makes the Run for the Roses a special experience is the build up to the race. Whether it’s combing the Daily Racing Form for an edge when making predictions and wagers, selecting the right hat to complete a dazzling ensemble or securing the best view possible on the infield of the track at Churchill Downs, the moments leading up to the race are nearly as thrilling as 1 ¼-mile run, itself.
But the exhilaration that culminates on the first Saturday in May wouldn’t be possible if the 20 thoroughbreds competing in the Grade I Stakes race don’t make a safe journey to Louisville, Ky.
Officials at Atlantic Aviation, the FBO located at Louisville Muhammad Ali Airport (SDF), are doing their part to safely unload inbound horses with dreams of winning the Kentucky Derby and then securely loading outbound horses as they pursue additional Triple Crown success.
“Louisville is one of the places where you see a lot of the horses,” explains Todd Walter, operations manager at Atlantic Aviation in Louisville. “At Churchill Downs, they stable here, and they train here.”
He points out that while the Kentucky Derby receives a lot of attention, hundreds of horses compete in races and train throughout the racing season all across the country. This leads to increased animal cargo in key locations like Kentucky as well as Chicago, Florida, California and New York.
As horses move from track to track across the nation, and even internationally, ground handling operations need to be efficient to keep horses and their handlers’ journey on track.
Specialized Equipment
In Louisville, Atlantic Aviation can accommodate both domestic and international animal cargo shipments.
In order to handle animal cargo, the right ground support equipment (GSE) needs to be on the airfield. Depending on the requirements and style of aircraft, this equipment can vary.
For example, some airlines may use a ramp-style loading system.
“It looks like a big stair truck, but it’s a ramp and they’ll walk the horses up to the airplanes,” Walter explains. “The airplanes are set up where they build the stalls. They back the horses into position, and they build the stalls around them and the horses are contained that way.”
Other airlines may utilize unit load devices (ULDs) that have been customized to support animal cargo.
In these cases, the containers are off-loaded, and the animals are transferred to trucks on the ground.
“They have a bridging apparatus,” Walter says. “You pull the horse truck up, put the bridging apparatus next to the truck. Then the actual ULD will back up to the container on a dolly, and they’ll walk them through.”
What’s more, the type of aircraft can affect the type of equipment used. Since the B-777 is narrower on the top side, a different container is required than what be used on B-747, for example.
Walter says the FBO used to see more DC-8s and B-707s fly horses to the area, which often used the stall systems. But now with larger aircraft, the ULDs tend to be more efficient.
“The containerized system is a faster and cleaner process,” he says. “When they bring the stalls in, the horses come off of them, and then they have to be completely cleaned out and sterilized and inspected by the USDA before they can reload horses in them.
“Basically, if an airplane comes in with containers, we’ll download the empty ones,” Walter continues. “Or if they truck them in, we’ll have them out on the ramp.”
Generally speaking, the containers are comprised of a pallet with metal sides, stalls and doors with a locking mechanism.
“Once you put them all together, it’s a big ULD designed for a horse,” Walter says, noting these items are owned by animal transportation companies such as Mersant, Instone Air or Tex Sutton Forwarding.
The FBO will lease other animal-specific equipment required to safely handle the cargo.
“We do keep the ramp here. But that belongs to horse handler – we just keep it on the airfield for them,” Walter says. “I’d love to have a main deck loader, but it’s hard to justify.”
Requirements for Handling
When it comes to domestic flights, and the common style of loading, Walter says cargo handling operations for his team are fairly standard.
But there are different requirements for inbound animal cargo shipments and outbound horses.
“The inbound is a little more complex. The USDA has an interest in it as well as the veterinary side of it and the quarantine aspect of it. So, (animal handlers) are pretty heavily involved in the horse transport,” Walter points out. “The horse owners have the USDA and veterinary services involved with the quarantine periods. And they have actual horse handlers. There are companies that transport the horses on trucks and on the airplanes.”
Quarantine areas are located at the stables, and horses must remain there until they pass the required medical examinations. Then they’re ready to complete the transport process.
For outbound animals, the process is similar to other types of cargo loading operations.
“The bigger planes are loaded just like freight,” Walter says. “That process includes the dollies and K-loaders to move the horses on to the airplanes.”
The domestic flights are often self-sufficient, with Atlantic Aviation handling the aircraft, providing GSE and fueling services and arranging escorts on the airfield.
International flights can be a little more involved.
“We basically coordinate getting them on the airfield and escorted, getting them set up in an area to do their work,” Walter says. “When they hand off the horses to us, we take them to the airplane and basically hand them off to them again.”
An FBO’s typical certifications cover the animal cargo handling process because the FBO employees are not actually handling the animals, themselves. Animal handlers deal with the equine part of the process.
“Our certifications are K-loader and ground support equipment,” Walter says. “We’re basically operating the ground support equipment to support their operation and allowing them onto the airfield to operate and get their cargo loaded.
“From our point of view, it’s cargo. It takes a little longer to handle these than a basic cargo shipment,” he adds. “But animal handlers are doing the basic build-up, and then handing that freight off to us.”
Coordinator for Operations
As the FBO at the airport, Walter says his team’s biggest responsibility is to act as a coordinator.
Because veterinary staff and animals are overseeing loading and unloading operations and animal transport companies have arranged flight plans, the FBO is overseeing the operations and making sure it’s going smoothly.
“Usually, the transportation handler is going to contact us first and tell us what the requirements are,” he explains. “We use cleaning companies that have to quarantine the waste from the containers. So, a lot of times, we’ll set that up for them and coordinate having them out here.
“Then the handlers, themselves, will coordinate with the USDA and us as far as arrival times,” Walter continues. “We also coordinate with the airlines, as far as what time the plane’s going to get here and what services are going to be provided for them.”
In advance of the Kentucky Derby, horses that are not already at Churchill Downs begin to arrive approximately 10 days before the race. Soon after, spectators begin arriving, which keeps FBO operations busy until the event is complete.
“Horses will stay here and train until five or six days before the second race. Sometimes, they’ll even come back here before the third leg,” Walter notes. “They’ll train here for a couple weeks and then head back out.”
For an FBO located near a famous racetrack, handing animal cargo is a mostly routine process.
“They can be lengthy. It’s not a fast process, getting the horses loaded onto the airplane. But once they’re on the airplane, it’s pretty straight-forward.
“The coordination between the owners and the handlers and the transportation companies and the airport, itself, and the airline – the main thing is the coordination to bring everything together at the same point to get the airplane loaded.”
